@Rick Depends on the company hiring you/working with, your & the client’s location, skill set of you, skill set of the team, amount of people on the project, the sense of urgency the hiring company thinks they need, etc. A TON of variables.

That said, $80 to $120 is what I’ve seen. Anything beyond that is for companies. Just because you have an LLC/S-Corp/C-Corp for tax purposes doesn’t mean you’re a company, I mean you have the resources to handle larger projects with enough diverse talent (multiple developers, designers, PM’s, sales, etc… whatever client needs). Larger firms can pull in $150, $300, or even $500 an hr. I’ve even read $1000/hr (no, not lawyers, consultants).

As an individual, it’s very hard to burst through the $100/hr to $120/hr range. I call this the Flex consultant glass ceiling. Most companies, regardless of the variables mentioned above, will NOT pay this (unless you’re deep inside Silicon Valley or NYC). Additionally, people are always wary too, so even if you ARE worth that much, I’ve seen, and hired, people who charge that and aren’t worth even $50/hr.

Keep in mind too, just because you make $80 for a 4 month gig, what then? Do you magically have a new one lined up RIGHT when your other one ends? This is where the “high rates” gets a little fuzzy in terms actually meaning “high” because if you take another 2 months to find your next engagement, you actually only grossed $54 an hour.

Thus, don’t ONLY think about rate. Think about length of gig, travelling involved, value to your career & portfolio, the weight of the client name, the weight of the developer names your working with, your state taxes, and most importantly project health. A bad combination of those, or even just bad project health, and make it an actual loss of money vs. a gain.

There’s more good math here; also, read the comments for good corroboration info.

Especially for senior positions, developers are creating a vision, a solution that differentiates. Often the bring to the effort a passion for the solution; a joie de vivre for the product. Unfortunately this creation process can also foster an emotional attention to the creation or product. Consultants feel responsible for the product’s success… developers start to feel that they personally have a vested ownership in the product.

This sense of ownership is extremely dangerous; since the product is NOT ours.

The product belongs to the client. Some projects probably have tools, staffing, politics, processes, management, and – even – requirements that will probably hurt the “product”. So the consultant can find themselves fighting those harmful parts. While a healthly, professional resistance is good, a “my-product, my-way” fight, however, is doomed to failure, client divorce, consultant termination, sleepless nights, and huge levels of consultant stress.

Once engaged on the project, however, The consultant must remember that the client pays for the work. Don’t misunderstand my thoughts here. Funding does imply that the client is always right. Clients hire software consultants for expertise and solutions. The best clients are those that collaborate with the consultants.

Remember the presentation “Fuck You Pay ME”? One delicious kernel of advice from that presentation was “you can fire the client.” Consultants can always decline to engage on a project or even to GRACEFULLY withdraw from a project.

If the client is not collaborative, then you have entered a potentially dangerous environment. Nevertheless the product is theirs. So be professional and cognizant of your role. Focus on the success of the relationship and product. When that is not possible, then leave that project with as much professionalism as possible… but leave. Because you do not own the product!